Drivers of Customer Loyalty in QSR (Quick Service Restaurants) with Mediating Role of Satisfaction: A Case of Metropolitan Cities in Pakistan

Abstract

The Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry in Pakistan has become increasingly competitive, making customer loyalty a critical factor for long-term business success. This study examines the service quality, cleanliness, and price on customer loyalty, while investigating the mediating role of customer’s satisfaction in the QSR sector of the metropolitan cities of Pakistan. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was adopted, and data were collected from 204 customers using a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS through descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Pearson correlation, multiple regression and PROCESS Macro mediation analysis. The findings reveal that cleanliness and price significantly and positively influence satisfaction, whereas service quality does not have a significant direct effect on satisfaction. Customer satisfaction, however, has a significant positive effect on customer loyalty and mediates the relationships between service quality, cleanliness, price and customer loyalty. Among the examined factors, cleanliness emerged as the strongest predictor of customer satisfaction. The study extends the Value–Satisfaction–Loyalty framework by providing empirical evidence from Pakistan's QSR industry. The findings offer practical implications for QSR managers by emphasizing the importance of maintaining high standards of cleanliness, adopting fair pricing strategies, and enhancing customer satisfaction to strengthen customer loyalty and improve competitive performance.